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Ancient Civilizations

Intro Mesopotamia (3000-1000 BC) In General Society/Religion Government Egypt (3100 BC-500 BC) Nile Unification & Prosperity Conc. Key Terms Cuneiform Code of Hammurabi Papyrus Nile River Menes Great Pyramid. Ancient Civilizations. Announcements.

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Ancient Civilizations

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  1. Intro Mesopotamia (3000-1000 BC) In General Society/Religion Government Egypt (3100 BC-500 BC) Nile Unification & Prosperity Conc. Key Terms Cuneiform Code of Hammurabi Papyrus Nile River Menes Great Pyramid Ancient Civilizations

  2. Announcements Requirement/Extra Credit Opportunities • “Chris Carter’s Student Body Language,” Friday 9/14 7:30 PM at WSCC theater • Peter Yarrow: Saturday 9/29, 7:30 at Ramsdell Theater in Manistee • For free tickets call WSCC box office: 843-5507 • To do: Attend the event & write a summary (one page, single-spaced, typed, 250 words); due: one week after the event • More than one: five points can be added to your discussion grade

  3. Two Important Civilizations Mesopotamia & Egypt Why here? Access to water!

  4. Mesopotamia • Mesopotamia = a Greek word meaning “between the rivers.” • Rivers: Tigris & Euphrates • The Rivers flooded periodically & flood control was important.

  5. Number system with a base of 60 (combinations of 6 & 10) 60 seconds in one minute 60 minutes in one hour 360 degrees in a circle 360 days in year (extra month added every six years) 24 hours in one day Their Influence On Us Today Mathematics:

  6. Their Influence On Us Today Writing: Sumerians invented “Cuneiform” which was the first efficient system of writing. • It was partly pictographic and partly an alphabet.

  7. Sumerian Cuneiform Tablet (ca. 2121 BC)

  8. Society & Religion • Religion dominated daily life & people constantly tried to placate the gods. • This was reflected in their architecture.

  9. Ziggurat(At the top was a temple for a god)

  10. Religion • They were polytheists. • A major role/function was to explain “natural events.” • “Gloomy” & vague afterlife; no reward for virtuous living. • Enlil-An important god who influenced success or failure of crops by controlling weather. Enlil

  11. Mesopotamian Society • Slavery was practiced; one could be enslaved due to debt or prisoner of war. • About 80-90% of the population farmed. • Marriages were typically arranged by parents.

  12. There were 10-12 separate city-states in 3000 BC; each was led by a “king.” Leadership was very unstable; rulers rose & fell based upon their popularity (usually based on success of crops). Kings acted as representatives of the gods; no separation of church & state. Government in Mesopotamia

  13. Hammurabi (Babylonian King)(1792-1750 BC) Hammurabi was able to unify all of Mesopotamia under his rule Hammurabi and the law code

  14. Code of Hammurabi(ca.1750 BC) • If a man commits robbery and is captured, he shall be put to death. • If the robber is not captured, the man who has been robbed shall, in the presence of the god, make a list of what he has lost, and the city and the governor of the province where the robbery was committed shall compensate him for his loss. • Insight: Protection of Private Property

  15. Code of Hammurabi(ca.1750 BC) • If a man accuses another man of murder but cannot prove it, the accuser shall be put to death. • If a man bears false witness in a case, or cannot prove his testimony, if that case involves life or death, he shall be put to death. • Insight: Honesty

  16. Code of Hammurabi(ca.1750 BC) • If a son strikes his father, they shall cut off his hand. • A widower cannot seize his dead wife’s dowry, but must save it for her sons. • Insight: Family Values • If a noble has broken another noble’s bone, they shall break his bone. If he has destroyed the eye of a commoner or has broken the bone of a commoner, he shall pay one mina of silver. • Insight: Rich & poor are treated differently

  17. Code of Hammurabi(ca.1750 BC) • A wife can divorce her husband for adultery, but only if she has been chaste; if not she is to be thrown into the river along with her lover. • When she deserves it, a man may pull out the hair of his wife, mutilate or twist her ears, with no liability attaching to him. • Insight: Women are NOT equal to men

  18. The Code’s Significance? • No equality under the law (for women and/or commoners) • Laws provide a code of ethical behavior; no reward for ethical behavior

  19. Role/Function Of Laws/Religion

  20. Egypt’s Influence On Us Today Papyrus • A new, less clumsy writing tablet: • Toothpaste! • Ingredients: lead, powdered flint, incense, and honey (ca. 1500 BC)

  21. Rosetta Stone Discovered in 1799; deciphered 1822 Included writing in hieroglyphics, demotic script, and Greek

  22. The Gift Of The Nile Most of Egypt is a desert, but the Nile... • flooded every year which added nutrients to soil. • made the land “livable;” 5-15 miles on either side of the River. • created a dependable and efficient transportation system. In contrast to Mesopotamia’s instability, the Nile provided stability and prosperity to Egypt.

  23. Unification Brings Prosperity Egypt was believed to be first unified between 3100-2850 BC by… Menes He was also known as Narmer

  24. Statistics & the Great Pyramid • Built about 2600 BC • 480 feet high and 750 feet long • Built with 2.3 million limestone blocks • Each block weighed about 2.5 tons • Each block was hand-chiseled to fit in place perfectly • Built with a labor force of about 100,000 men working for 20 years

  25. Intro Mesopotamia (3000-1000 BC) Society/Religion Government Egypt (3100 BC-500 BC) Nile Unification & Prosperity Conc. Key Terms Cuneiform Code of Hammurabi Papyrus Nile River Menes Great Pyramid Ancient Civilizations

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